Tuesday, October 26, 2010

John Reynolds' Tiwatawata: a procession of charred poles across the landscape






Taking its cue from nineteenth century illustrations of local Maori demarcation poles and photos of the eventual fencing of boundaries with the arrival of more recent communities at site of the new Hobsonville Point Park, John Reynolds' recently installed work Tiwatawata dramatises the process of marking off the land.

Consisting of 188 charred and stained wooden poles of various diameters closely staged at irregular distances apart and at differing heights, Reynolds says "Tiwatawata is an artwork IN the landscape rather than ON the landscape, and crucially, a localised drama of edges and site."
Images: John Reynolds, Tiwatawata (2010), 188 charred and stained poles, installation views, Hobsonville Point Park, Auckland, NZ